SUPPORT for overseas investment on Phuket came from an unexpected source today . . . a leader of the powerful Internal Security Operations Command, which has the Prime Minister as chief commanding officer.
And he added that it was time to stop the finger-pointing. Thais were more likely to be cheating the system than expats, he said.
Investors from Britain, Hong Kong, Australia, the US, Germany and Sweden represent the overseas countries with the largest stakeholds in Phuket, Phuketwan was told today.
All up, 107 countries have some kind of investment on the island.
The statistics come from Rear Admiral Amornchot Sujirat, the local deputy in charge of the Army's Internal Security Operations Command and a board member of the Kata Beach Resort.
Overseas money has gone into tourism, real estate, resorts, condominiums, construction, restaurants and tour companies, he said.
Out of the total investment of 62,503 million baht, the rear admiral said, Thai investment totalled 53,000 million and overseas investment consisted of 9,000 million.
British investment led the way, at 1284 million.
''There is no problem with nominees taking control,'' Rear Admiral Amornchot said. ''My advice to Thais would be not to keep pointing their fingers at farang,'' he said.
''Overseas investors are overwhelmingly legitimate in what they do here. It is the Thais who tend to try more often to bend the law to suit their own ends.''
His comments follow release of a report sponsored by the Thailand Research Foundation that raises concerns about levels of expat ''control'' of Phuket property, especially by the beach.
Much of the controversy flowed after a page one lead heading in the Bangkok Post that said: 'Foreigners own 90 pc of Phuket beachfront.'
The headline was rejected as wrong by the researchers. The document says nothing of the kind.
Investigations by Phuketwan have shown the concerns of the researchers are probably unfounded. Some segments of the media, though, prefer to promote paranoia.
The release of the report comes by coincidence at the same time as an update on a nationwide investigation by the Department of Special Investigation into 61 cases involving property, 16 on Phuket.
DSI investigations have been underway for years. Most of the cases concern Thai owners.
The President of the Phuket Professional Guide Association, Panomphol Thummachartniyom, told Phuketwan today that what Phuket needed most was broader targetted marketing of tourists.
Koreans especially visited only Korean-owned restaurants, resorts and tour operators, and as a result most of the money went back to Korea, he said.
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And he added that it was time to stop the finger-pointing. Thais were more likely to be cheating the system than expats, he said.
Investors from Britain, Hong Kong, Australia, the US, Germany and Sweden represent the overseas countries with the largest stakeholds in Phuket, Phuketwan was told today.
All up, 107 countries have some kind of investment on the island.
The statistics come from Rear Admiral Amornchot Sujirat, the local deputy in charge of the Army's Internal Security Operations Command and a board member of the Kata Beach Resort.
Overseas money has gone into tourism, real estate, resorts, condominiums, construction, restaurants and tour companies, he said.
Out of the total investment of 62,503 million baht, the rear admiral said, Thai investment totalled 53,000 million and overseas investment consisted of 9,000 million.
British investment led the way, at 1284 million.
''There is no problem with nominees taking control,'' Rear Admiral Amornchot said. ''My advice to Thais would be not to keep pointing their fingers at farang,'' he said.
''Overseas investors are overwhelmingly legitimate in what they do here. It is the Thais who tend to try more often to bend the law to suit their own ends.''
His comments follow release of a report sponsored by the Thailand Research Foundation that raises concerns about levels of expat ''control'' of Phuket property, especially by the beach.
Much of the controversy flowed after a page one lead heading in the Bangkok Post that said: 'Foreigners own 90 pc of Phuket beachfront.'
The headline was rejected as wrong by the researchers. The document says nothing of the kind.
Investigations by Phuketwan have shown the concerns of the researchers are probably unfounded. Some segments of the media, though, prefer to promote paranoia.
The release of the report comes by coincidence at the same time as an update on a nationwide investigation by the Department of Special Investigation into 61 cases involving property, 16 on Phuket.
DSI investigations have been underway for years. Most of the cases concern Thai owners.
The President of the Phuket Professional Guide Association, Panomphol Thummachartniyom, told Phuketwan today that what Phuket needed most was broader targetted marketing of tourists.
Koreans especially visited only Korean-owned restaurants, resorts and tour operators, and as a result most of the money went back to Korea, he said.
Phuketwan Phuket News
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Phuket Investment Drops But Bounce Predicted
Phuket Economy Investment on Phuket dipped by almost one third in the first half of the year but the second half looks more promising, latest figures reveal.
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Latest Back in May Phuketwan suggested the Australian 'best job in the world' campaign would be great for Phuket and now Thailand's tourism chiefs have taken up the idea.
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Latest The drums of paranoia are being beaten by a media that fails to do proper research. Here's a list of who owns the resorts along Patong's beach road, according to the local authority.
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Latest Good things come to those who wait and after two decades, Phuket seems assured now of a conference and sports centre that will drive the island's development.
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UPDATE Phuket's governor tells tourist horror stories of jetski operators in Patong and makes it plain that the era of the scams and ripoffs is coming to a close.
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Recent Phuketwan MediaWATCH
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As Phuket Governor and many officials from Bangkok said previously, the law is the law so it does not matter if some influential Thais want to cool down the negative impact of the bad comments in the Thai medias and websites by frustrated expats.
The only point where they may be fair for all expats living in Thailand, would be to let any expat to buy home for living with Thai spouse or for retirement and be stricter for foreign investors if they want to invest in real estate businesses as it is done in many countries.
Posted by Whistle-Blower on September 4, 2009 13:39